Ilqa EduCare from Mumbai’s slum provides quality education to underprivileged students for 10th, 12th and NEET

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Khan Ashfiya Salim, 18, who is a daughter of a rickshaw driver based in Mumbai’s slum- Govandi. “My father earns about Rs. 15,000 per month and he has four family members to take care of,” says Ashfiya who has two siblings.

Despite hailing from such a humble background, Ashfiya has a big dream to achieve- to become a successful doctor. For that she has been studying hard. “I feel bad whenever I see a poor dying just because he/she can’t afford better treatment. That is why I want to become a doctor and help poor people with affordable and better medical treatment,” says Ashfiya.

Ashfiya studied hard and secured 88% in her 10th board exam. Her parents had a tough time paying her coaching center fee. “The actual fee of the coaching class was Rs. 10,000 annually. But because of my family’s financial condition and my interest in studies I got a discount and my fee reduced to Rs. 7000. My parents paid it in 4-5 installments as and when they had sufficient money,” says Ashfiya.

She wanted to prepare for NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test ) to pursue medicine. However, she did not have lakhs to pay for the preparation. Eventually she found a coaching class called Ilqa EduCare based in Govandi which made her preparation journey financially worry-less. She prepared for the 12th and NEET exam from the classes for free and appeared for the 12th board exam through distance education securing 89%.

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“I got all the resources and study help. Such as the best teachers who helped me understand all the concepts better for 12th and NEET exams. The classes also paid a subscription fee for an online NEET course for me. I had freedom to reach out to any teacher anytime for clearing doubts,” says Ashfiya.

She appeared for NEET in 2022, but could not secure an MBBS seat in government medical college. However, when she appeared for the second time this year- 2023, she secured 594 marks which made her eligible for an MBBS seat in a government college. “With this rank, I am eligible for an MBBS seat. I finally made it! I am really thankful to all the teachers from Ilqa EduCare classes who helped me prepare for the exam without worrying about fees,” says Ashfiya.

Khan Ashfiya (right) and her NEET exam result

Ashfiya is not the one, but 195 students from Govandi’s slum areas from economically weaker families received quality education with minimal to no fees from Ilqa EduCare . They cleared their 10th and 12th with flying colours which gave them courage for further studies.

Ilqa EduCare was established by a bunch of six youth who were born and brought up in Govandi. The founding members are Yasir Abdullah, Kashif Shaikh, Obaidurrahman Ansari, Simab Khan, Vikas Saini and Khaleequrrahman Ansari. They have been involved in social work for years and are associated with a student- led non-profit organization called Students Islamic Organisation (SIO). However, the coaching center is an independent body.

One of the founding members Yasir Abdullah said that many have made education a business and earning lakhs and crores from it. “Hence, this has become one of the major factors for students dropping out of schools and colleges amongst underprivileged areas like Govandi. In Govandi, families struggle hard to put food on the table and provide basic education. Spending thousands and lakhs of rupees on quality education is a distant dream for the families here,” explains Yasir.

Yasir went on explaining that usually, in Govandi slum coaching classes charge between Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 25,000 annually for 10th, 11th and 12th board exam preparation. “It is unaffordable for families living in Govandi having a household income Rs. 15000-20000 per month to spend so much money only on one child for education,” tells Yasir.

The founding members have a noble belief. “What we believe is that education should not be a burden for anyone because education is the only way to change someone’s future, especially for underprivileged youth,” says Yasir.

With this belief, the founding members started a coaching center under the banner Ilqa EduCare in 2015 for NEET preparation with minimal fee. However, it did not work out then. “We failed badly because most of the people were unaware of such competitive exams in Govandi. So we planned to focus on basics- 10th, 11th and 12th,” tells Yasir. It started with just five students.

They have a place with a capacity of 25 students, a white board and a 43″ smart TV for graphics and online classes. The class has six teachers who hold MSc. Maths, BUMS, MSc and MA degrees and having profound experience in their respective fields.

Students sitting in Ilqa EduCare coaching institute

“We have teachers who are well versed in their respective subjects. Moreover, we also have a library where students can come and study as per their convenience. While studying, if they have doubts they can reach out to us directly anytime,” tells Yasir.

The coaching center charges between Rs. 1500 to Rs. 5000 for 9th to 12th preparation. “Although we charge the lowest without compromising on the quality of education, we also provide education for free to those who can’t afford the fee. But they are treated equally and sit in the same batch as others to make sure they are receiving better education,” says Yasir.

Ilqa classes started with five students in 2015 and so far, they have catered to 195 students. “All the students are from Govandi slums. Their parents earn through daily wage jobs such as labour, tailoring, embroidery artist works, taxi and autorickshaw driving and such others earning Rs. 15000-20000 per month. Every family has more than two children to take care of,” explains Yasir. He further added that because of low income many parents send their children to government schools or low fee private schools.

One such student is Mohammed Kaif whose father does hand embroidery art work for a living and mother has been a housewife. “My father earns about Rs. 15,000 per month. I was looking for affordable coaching classes that provide quality education to clear my 10th with a good score. Fortunately, I found Ilqa EduCare,” tells Kaif. He went to a government school in Govandi as his parents could not afford a private school.

Despite paying minimal fees Kaif received quality education and cleared the 10th board exam with flying colours. “I scored 78% in my 10th board exams and I am planning to pursue commerce for further education. With my score, I am sure I will get a decent college for my further studies. I will keep studying in Ilqa Edcare classes for my 11th and 12th preparation,” adds Kaif. He wants to make his career in the banking profession.

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Yasir said that, although Ilqa EduCare charges very minimal fees, but it pays teachers a better wage. “We pay teachers Rs. 150-200 per lecture. Which is a fair price for the teachers. Because we don’t want teachers to compromise in providing quality education,” tells Yasir.

To manage funds, Yasir and his team always look for donations. “We receive donations from individuals to support our cause. We co-founders also contribute money. We will not make Ilqa EduCare one of those money making businesses as others. It is and it will be a place where students from underprivileged families can come and study without even paying anything if they can’t afford even minimal charges. However, for this we need as many people as possible to fund this cause,” says Yasir. He also said that around Rs. 34 lakh is the yearly expenses to run the coaching classes.